Graffiti House Stabilization
Project
Completed; Treasury Depleted !
BSF President Bob Jones
reports that the 2008 Architectural Report on the Graffiti House identified the
urgent need to stabilize the first floor, stairway, and second floor to allow
continued visitation by tourists to view the graffiti in the upstairs
bedrooms. The Foundation contracted
Tidewater Preservation Inc. to perform the necessary tasks to bring the floor
loadings up to Culpeper County code.
This project was completed in April, in time for the numerous bus tour
groups visiting this spring.
Because
of problems not anticipated by the architects or engineers, the cost of the
project exceeded the original estimates by $10,000, which has significantly
depleted our treasury. The condition of
the second floor support joists was far worse than foreseen and we are thankful
that no structural damage had occurred during any tourist visitations.
The next
phase of Graffiti House preservation will be the repair/replacement of the
house foundation at an expected cost of $175,000. Therefore, activities of the Foundation will
be focused upon bringing the treasury back to a level that can allow us to move
forward. With the increase of visitors expected during the 150th anniversary of
the Civil War (2011 – 2015), we hope to complete the house foundation repair
phase prior to 2011.
If you would like to contribute,
please send a check to the “Brandy Station Foundation” and write “Graffiti
House Restoration” in the memo line.
Your
continued advice, counsel and financial support will enable the Brandy Station
Foundation to fulfill it’s commitment to educate today’s generation about
events that occurred here during the Civil War and to honor those who perished
on our local battlefields.
In 2009,
the Brandy Station Foundation will again host a series of Sunday lectures on the Civil War. Free,
donations welcome. The lectures will be on the last Sunday of each month
starting April 26 and ending October 25. They will be at the Graffiti
House (19484 Brandy Road, Brandy Station, VA) from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. We
welcome everyone to join us for the lectures and light refreshments. For
directions and more information on all the lectures see our website at www.brandystationfoundation.com.
Upcoming lectures are:
5/31/09 "The
Courts-Martial of Lt. Col. Henry Clay Pate" - Joseph McKinney
6/28/09 "Three Years a
Soldier" - Richard Griffin
7/26/09 "The 19th
Century Art of Mourning" - 49th Virginia reenactors
8/30/09 "Walt
Whitman's Civil War" - Melissa Delcour
9/27/09 "The Civil War
in Culpeper Through the Eyes of Artists and Photographers" - Michael Block
10/25/09 "The Music of
the Civil War" - Evergreen Shade
The May 31st
lecture will be at 2:00 p.m. at the Graffiti House (19484 Brandy Road, Brandy
Station, VA). The speaker will be Joe
McKinney who will speak on "The Court-martial of Lt. Col. Henry Clay
Pate". This trial developed into a
real courtroom drama in Culpeper Courthouse in March, 1863 and indirectly led
to the death of one of the South's first heroes, John Pelham, on March 17, 1863
at the Battle of Kelly's Ford. Joe Mckinney
speaks regularly in the area on various interesting Civil War topics. A long-time Civil War historian, Joe lives on
the Brandy Station battlefield. A
graduate of West Point and a retired Lt. Col., Joe's first book is an in-depth
history of the June 9, 1863 Battle of Brandy Station. Free refreshments will be served after the
lecture.
Worship as They Did Back Then
By invitation of the vestry of
Christ Episcopal Church in Brandy Station and through coordination with the
Brandy Station Foundation, the public is invited to attend Sunday Services at
the Historic St. James Church Site on St. James Church Road off Beverly Ford
Road on Sunday, June 14 at 1 o’clock P. M.
The Reverend Joie Clee Weiher will
conduct the Service of Holy Eucharist as it would have been done at St. James during its short life from 1840 to
1863. She will also use the St. James Communion Chalice and the Bible from the
church which was stolen by Union troops and then returned. The service is being
held to commemorate the memory of those men who gave their lives at the Battle
of Brandy Station on June 9, 1863, and other battles, many of whom were buried
where they fell at or near the St. James Church Site.
St. James Episcopal Church was
founded in 1840 to serve the Rappahannock River region of Eastern Culpeper
County and Western Fauquier. The church was built on a 2-acre parcel provided
by Richard Hoope Cunningham, master of the 1500-acre Elkwood plantation. It was
built 200 yards west of the Beverly’s Ford Road at the intersection with the
Winchester Turnpike and Green’s Mill Road. It was built of light red brick and
described as ‘a first class country church’.
Major General John Pope brought the
war directly to St. James when he and components of his 45,000 man army marched
through Culpeper. General Robert E. Lee, through Stonewall Jackson, advanced to
suppress his movements. The Battle of the Rappahannock River ensued . After
bloody battling back and forth, in the dark night of August 23, the Confederate
"Washington Artillery formed a burial detail that quietly pulled back from
the river to St. James, the nearest cemetery. The battalion’s historian
recorded the scene. We ‘performed the last sad rites to our dead comrades by
flickering light of a blazing fire of logs and rails, having made rude coffins
of the pews of St. James Church’, which meaning no sacrilege, were appropriated
for that purpose".
St. James Church continued to be
occupied and overrun by both sides especially during the Battle of Brandy
Station on June 9, 1863. In early December of that year, the Army of the
Potomac began its winter encampment. 100,000 men established camps throughout
Culpeper County with the Cavalry Corps headquarters located at Dr Daniel
Green’s home, just north of St. James, with troops occupying the fields and
woods all about the church. In a letter home, a 6th US Cavalryman
described setting up his winter camp ‘ upon the battle field of Beverly’s Ford
or Brandy Station as the rebels call it..... An old church stands close by.....
the ground near the church is nearly covered with the graves of rebel
soldiers...upon a old piece of board at the head of each grave is simple
inscribed the name and regiment of the unfortunate interred beneath...’. By
December 1863 the church stood abandoned but during the encampment they
...’have pulled down the church for the bricks alone...’, with evidence showing
that they were used in chimneys and sidewalks of Meade’s own headquarters. The
church ‘was torn down to the ground’.
This information and much more is
from the book, "The History and Archaeology of Saint James Episcopal
Church, Brandy Station, Virginia." which is available through Christ
Church or the Brandy Station Foundation.
Since June 14th is also
Flag Day, the Processional of the service will feature many flags, current and
past. All attendees are asked to gather at the field to the left of the
entrance to the site, shortly before 1 o’clock. We will then all process
to the Site together. We plan to have period musical accompaniment for the
service.
Please remember that this service
will be in the woods. The 2 acre site has a good clear path but there are still
precautions for all to heed. First of all, the service will be held RAIN OR SHINE.
If you will NEED TO SIT , BRING A FOLDING CHAIR with you. Wear appropriate CLOSED FOOTWEAR Socks & trousers are
recommended.
CIVIL WAR PERIOD DRESS IS REQUESTED
but not required.
Please remember that this is the
Sunday worship service for Christ Church congregation and their guests. Light refreshments will be served following
the service at the Graffiti House.
For further information, you may
contact Boo Ingram, Christ Church Vestry: 540 825 3300, ext.16,
ingramboo@aol.com Or Mary Tholand, Brandy
Station Foundation, 540 825 5534,
tholand@earthlink.net
.
Brandy Station Battlefield Visit
Dr.
Daniel Beattie recently took a group of disabled veterans around the Brandy
Station Battlefield. Joeeph McKinney ,
BSF battlefield tour guide, was also on
hand. At left is Sgt. Yvette McDermott.
The following excerpt is from an article by
ALLISON
BROPHY CHAMPION in the Culpeper Star Exponent published: May 10,
2009
BRANDY STATION — A small group of
wounded veterans from Walter Reed Army Medical Center walked the grounds of the
largest cavalry battle of the Civil War Saturday as part of a special
battlefield tour sponsored by the Blue and Gray Education Society and The
Yellow Ribbon Fund.
More than 20,000 Union and
Confederate troops, including 17,000 on horseback, clashed here June 9, 1863,
near the village named for a tavern, claiming more than 1,400 men and leading
the way to Gettysburg.
Nearly 150 years later, Iraqi War
veteran Sgt. Yvette McDermott of the National Guard was among the wounded
warriors from Walter Reed visiting the sprawling farm fields, soaking in the
sun and some Culpeper history. From Goochland, McDermott is already familiar
with Virginia’s part in the Civil War and said she enjoys taking advantage of
the touring opportunities provided through the Army hospital in D.C.
As Civil War historian and tour
guide Dr. Dan Beattie of Charlottesville talked about the Brandy Station battle
of sabers and pistols, the 42-year-old female veteran leaned on a cane, an
indication of her tours of duty in Iraq and Kosovo.
Len Riedel, executive director of
the Blue & Gray Education Society — a nonprofit Civil War history group
based in Chatham that co-sponsored Saturday’s tour — realized commonalities
between today’s fighting in the Middle East and the War Between the States.
“War makes ugly wounds that man has
to bind up as best it can,” he said.
Beverly Ford & St.
James Church (April 4, May 30, July 25)
Kelly's Ford &
Stevensburg (April 18, June 13, Aug 8)
Fleetwood Hill (May 2,
June 27, Aug 22)
Buford Knoll & Yew
Ridge (May 16, July 11, Sept 5)
Tours leave from the
Graffiti House at 10:00 am and last 2 hours.
Cost is $10.00 for adults, children
are free. No reservation needed,
just show-up at Graffiti House before ten.
For info contact Gary Wilson at 540-547-4106 or email
BSFJune91863@aol.com. Full tour schedule at
www.brandystationfoundation.com. Special tours for individuals or groups on
other days can be specially arranged.
The
BSF's long time friend and Board member for many years, Angus Green has had
some medical problems and is now at
home recuperating. We all wish him well especially when he celebrates his 85th
birthday on May 21.
Be sure to check out the action at
the Inn at Kelly’s Ford on the 4th of July. Gates open at 5:30 P.M. with free parking.
Admission is $5 per person with children under 6 free. There will be something
for the whole family– pony rides, moon bounce, entertainment by the Andre Fox
Band. The Flying Circus will make an appearance and then the fireworks begin at
dusk. Lots of food and drink and fun for all! The Brandy Station Foundation
will have an information booth and souvenirs available for sale.
The Inn at Kelly’s Ford-16589
Edwards Shop Road, Remington. For further information, call the Inn at 540 399
1779
Dr. Beattie commissioned three
original paintings by Adam Hook for his
latest
book: Brandy Station 1863: First Step Towards Gettysburg,
He
has generously donated the originals to the Brandy Station Foundation. They are
called: Save the Day! ; Buying Time on the Beverly Ford Road ; and, Buford on
Cunningham’s Ridge. They are now on display at the Graffiti House.
Below is the painting titled Save
the Day! At about 10:30 on June 9, 1863, General David Gregg’s division of
Union cavalry appeared two miles behind Stuart’s main line of battle at St.
James Church. The key terrain of Fleetwood Hill lay in between and was
almost devoid of Confederate troops. Fortunately for Stuart, one of them
was Major Henry B. McClellan, Stuart’s Assistant Adjutant General.
McClellan was new to Stuart’s staff, but he performed splendidly.
Dr.
Beattie sat on the Board of the Brandy Station Foundation for about 10 years
and is still an active member. He has been instrumental in saving each of the
parcels of land preserved on the Brandy Station battlefield. He has conducted
guided tours of many American and European battlefields. He lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, with
his wife of 34 years, Peggy, and two children.
The Graffiti House in Brandy Station,
Va. was once again the weekend home of Company D, 17th Virginia Infantry,
"The Fairfax Rifles," as they established a picket on the grounds of
the historic Graffiti House on April 25-26 during Culpeper Remembrance Days.
The Fairfax Rifles, a family oriented
re-enactment group, had previously visited the Brandy Station in Culpeper
County to help support the Brandy Station Foundation and share their knowledge
of life during the War Between the States with visitors. A period camp was
established. Visitors learned from talking to the women of the sewing
circle, from watching the company
marching and their rifle drills, and from one re-enactor and his display of
Civil War currency.
The 17th Virginia Infantry was
organized at Manassas Junction in June 10, 1861. It was composed of ten
companies, many of which began as prewar volunteer militias. The volunteers
were from Alexandria, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, and Warren
Counties. The core of these volunteers were four companies organized on
February 18, 161 as a volunteer militia battalion.
The battalion went on active duty soon
after the Ordinance of Secession was passed on May 23, 1861. The Fairfax Rifles
had been formed at Fairfax Court House by Capt. William H. Dulany on December
1, 1859 as the Fairfax Rifle Rangers and attached to the 60th Regiment (Fairfax
County) Virginia Militia.
The Fairfax Rifles seek to portray, as
authentically as possible, Virginia soldiers and civilians from Fairfax County
in the period 1861–1865. For more information, please visit
www.brandystationfoundation.com
. For information on the Fairfax Rifles, the address is
www.fairfaxrifles.org
The Brandy Station Foundation has recently
received a major donation from the Dun Foundation of Middleburg Virginia in the
amount of $5000.00 for the preservation of The Graffiti House. We are extremely
grateful for this needed gift and want to personally thank P. Douglas Fout and
members of his family for their generosity and support.
BRANDY
STATION FOUNDATION – 2009 MEMBERSHIP FORM
Yes, I support the work of the Brandy
Station Foundation in preserving Historic Brandy Station. Please enroll me as a
member of the Foundation.
_____$25 Membership
Additional Donation $_______
Name:
________________________________________________________________________
Address:
________________________________________________________________________
Email Address:
___________________________________________________________________
Mail to: Brandy Station
Foundation, P.O. Box 165, Brandy Station, Virginia 22714-0165
Let
me know how I can volunteer. ________
Phone
Numbers: Daytime____________________ Night___________________
_____Send
my newsletter by email or postal service. (circle one)
____________________________________________________________________________________
The Brandy Station Foundation is a
501(c)3 non-profit, community-based membership group dedicated to preserving
the natural and historic resources of the Brandy Station area of Culpeper
County, Virginia. It relies on
tax-deductible
donations to meet its goals.
